How America's AC-130 Gunships Wreaked Havoc on Vietnam

Off in the distance came the faint drone of a large propeller-driven aircraft. The sound got steadily louder, when suddenly a curtain of red fire erupted from the sky and rained down on the rice paddies in front of us. Puff! Puff, the Magic Dragon! When Puff unleashed that first six-second burst every man knew instantly what it was. The sound was indescribable, a deep guttural roar that anyone who has ever heard and lived, will always remember.

Puff flew back and forth over the battlefield that night in 1967, dropping huge two million-candle-power parachute flares and occasionally lighting up the sky with his fiery red breath. When daylight began Puff’s work was done. The drone of his huge engines faded into the distance and a deathly silence lingered over the battlefield. Nothing moved in the eerie glare of the last flare as it floated slowly to the earth.

The Evolution of Puff the Mighty Dragon

The mighty dragon Puff evolved from very humble beginnings. The predecessor of the first fixed-wing gunship used in Southeast Asia was the WWII twin-engined C-47 (DC-3) “Gooney Bird,” which was first brought to Vietnam as a transport and cargo ship in November 1961. Shortly after their arrival, many C-47s were outfitted as “flare ships” and designated FC-47 (“F” for flare) to drop huge parachute flares over enemy positions during night attacks. In November 1963, FC-47s flung more than seven thousand flares over enemy positions.

Due to increased night activity by the Viet Cong (VC) in 1963, it soon became apparent that a better night air effort was necessary. After much deliberation, and because of the diligence and persistence of several young Air Force Officers, the modern concept of the fixed-wing gunship was accepted.

The effectiveness of such a gunship was dependent upon its ability to direct concentrated fire on enemy positions in near proximity to friendly forces. The chosen craft also had to have enough power and cargo space to carry the necessary armament and heavy loads of ordnance.

The flying maneuver that was necessary for this type of precision fire mission was to circle the enemy position in a tightly banked “pylon turn” while firing from side-mounted guns. This would allow the craft to sustain continuous fire on a relatively small area.

A cargo or transport-type craft was needed for the huge amounts of munitions required, and it had to be propeller driven, because jet aircraft were much too fast for the precision maneuvers necessary. The C-47 was chosen as the test plane.

The armament chosen for the gunships was the General Electric rotary-barreled M-134 machine gun, known as the “minigun,” which could fire either fifty or a hundred rounds of 7.62-mm ammunition per second. Initially three miniguns per ship would be fixed-mounted in a side-firing configuration. Positioning the aircraft at the proper altitude and angle was the only means of aiming the weapons.

Using this armament, a C-47 flying at three thousand feet in a tight circle could place a bullet in every square yard of a football-field-sized area (five thousand square yards) in approximately 17 seconds.

Spooky and Puff

An Air Force team was dispatched to Bien Hoa Air Force Base outside Saigon in December 1964 to convert two C-47s into gunships for evaluation. The conversion was completed on the first ship in less than two weeks.

Preliminary tests were run, and the gunship flew its first-day combat mission on December 14, 1964, firing on enemy sampans, trails and staging areas. The gunship scored its first verified enemy kills on December 21, 1964, with 21 VC dead.

The first night mission was flown on the night of December 23, over an outpost under attack near Thanh Yend. The ship fired more than 4,500 rounds of ammunition and dropped 17 flares, successfully halting the enemy assault on the outpost.

By then, the two converted gunships had flown 16 combat and 7 training missions. In February 1965, a gunship was sent to Bong Son, killing a hundred VC. Another 150 or so VC are believed to have been killed in that action, but the survivors dragged away the bodies and a total body count was not possible.

“Gooney Bird” was quickly evolving into “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The armored plane’s fame quickly spread throughout Vietnam. American GIs were comforted by its presence, and the enemy lived in mortal terror of it. Reports have it that, on occasion, just the sound of one of them flying overhead and the dropping of the first giant flare was enough to break off an enemy attack.

The test of the new gunships was considered successful and the order was given to convert 20 C-47s into gunships. They were now to be designated AC-47 (“A” for attack) “Spooky” gunships. The conversions were to be carried out in the United States, and the planes flown to Vietnam upon completion.

SOS Arrives Near Saigon for Command Support

The 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (a k a SOS, “Special Operations Squadron”) arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, near Saigon, on November 14, 1965, with 16 combat gunships and four others for command support and attrition. Their mission was to respond with flares and firepower support of friendly positions under night attack, convoy escort, armed reconnaissance, close-air support, and interdiction.

Although designated “Spooky” by the Air Force, the AC-47 was quickly nicknamed “Puff the Magic Dragon” by ground troops. In some areas even its official call sign was changed from “Spooky” to “Puff.” Anyone who has ever heard Puff fire those three miniguns knows the reason for the new name. The guttural roar made by the guns firing simultaneously could only come from a dragon—a very angry one.